Labour takes control of Southwark Council

The Labour Party has taken control of Southwark Council after eight years of Liberal Democrat domination. Most SE1 seats have remained in Lib Dem hands but a final result in Chaucer ward is still awaited.

Labour's Peter John is likely to be the new leader of the council, replacing the Lib Dems' Nick Stanton

Traditional assumptions about Southwark borough politics have been challenged as a result of a high turnout caused by holding the local elections on the same day as the general election. Turnout was roughly double the level seen at the last borough elections in 2006.

The count for the council elections began on Friday afternoon and continued late into the evening. As the results were declared it gradually became clear that control of the borough was going to change hands.

Before the Chaucer result is confirmed, Labour already has 34 of the 63 seats on Southwark Council which means that the Lib Dem-led administration of the past eight years is clearly ejected from office. The Conservatives, who have been part of a joint administration since 2006, have also suffered with their previous tally of six councillors reduced to just three.

We focus our political coverage on the six wards which most closely relate to the boundaries of SE1. All wards elect three members.

Elsewhere

Former East Walworth Lib Dem councillor Cathy Bowman makes a comeback to the council in Newington ward. A former executive member for regeneration she lost her seat in 2006 and subsequently worked as the coordinator of the Bankside Residents' Forum. Newington ward, which includes homes around the Elephant & Castle including the Draper Estate, is now a split ward with two Labour members and one Liberal Democrat.

East Walworth ward, which includes the Heygate Estate and Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre, now has three Labour councillors. It was previously a split ward with two Labour members and one Lib Dem councillor.